Spike In Temperature Attributed To Mass Salmon Mortality In State’s North

A Tasmanian marine farm has been dealt a fishy blow with a mass salmon fatality.

The Salmon farm at Rowella, along the Tamar River in the state’s north, believes a spike in water temperature could be behind the "elevated mortality".

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Ruben Alvarez CEO of Petuna Aquaculture told The Mercury it’s unclear how many fish have died.

“For now, our immediate concern is to safeguard those fish that have not been affected by removing those that have perished, as well as supporting our farming team who are working to manage the situation,” Alvarez said.

Growing about 2800 tonnes of salmon annually, the company reported the water temperature is beginning to fall, days after it had spiked, followed by a prolonged period of long, hot days

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) are aware of the mass "fish mortality incident" and are working with Petuna Aquaculture’s marine farm to carefully dispose of the fish.

"The EPA is working on the extent of the impact with Petuna," an EPA spokeswoman said.

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